Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Tired of the same 'ole, same 'ole when it comes to Windows Mobile 6.1-based handsets? Yeah, well you probably won't dig the NDrive S400 too much. Sure, it has its own personal charm, but by and large it's fairly predictable. Not that we're kvetching about a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 CPU, 128MB of RAM, quad-band GSM connectivity, HSDPA support, a VGA (640 x 480) display and aGPS, but there's no denying this thing could use a dash of personality. At any rate, we're also informed that it'll arrive with Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, a microSDHC slot, video out, a 1,500mAh battery, accelerometer and an FM radio module, and being just 16.9-millimeters thick with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard isn't too shabby, either. As these things always seem to go, pricing and availability is anyone's guess."

This little guy popped up on the Portuguese website, PocketPC.net. Primarily known for it's GPS devices, last year Portuguese-based NDrive released it's first GPS phone, the S300, in Europe, Africa, and South America. The S300 offered WiFi, 2g connectivity, and GPS, but only had 64MB of RAM and was made by their device partner, TechFaith Wireless.

Perhaps learning a lesson, the S400 has a beefier 128 RAM and a new manufacturing partner in SIM Technology. As you'll note in the specs below, it also contains 2 processors, both the Marvell PXA310 624Mhz + Qualcomm 6280. In this interesting split, the Marvell seems to be for applications and the Qualcomm for utilizing the HSDPA and GSM. (The MWg UBiQUiO 503G also uses dual processors, including the Qualcomm 6280). Interesting, the Qualcomm MSM6280 Chipset can also support video encoding and decoding, still cameras up to 4 MP, and 2D/3D video support, so the S400 might be distributing some graphics tasks to the Qualcomm for faster performance, especially for something like video telephony. It will be interesting to see the benchmarks once this ships.

Ndrive S400 Specification:

* OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* CPU: Marvell PXA310 624Mhz + Qualcomm 6280
* Memory: 256 MB ROM / 128 MB Ram
* Network: Quad-band GSM/UMTS/HSDPA 7.2MBps
* Display: 2.8-inches with VGA (640 x 480) resolution
* Camera: 3.0 megapixel with auto focus
* GPS: A-GPS
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Wi-Fi
* MicroSDHC card slot
* 1500mAh Battery
* Video Out
* Accelerometer
* FM Radio with RDS

In looking over SIM's website, the picture and specs look a lot like the U1, so it will be interesting to know if NDrive requested anything special for their version. At this point, costs, release dates, and carriers are all unknown, as well as whether North America will ever see one.

"The HTC Touch Diamond is the most consumer-friendly Windows Mobile smartphone yet. It's both powerful and easy to use. People looking to step up from a regular phone to a much more feature-rich one should seriously consider this device. HTC has clearly put many hours of thought into how to make a smartphone more intuitive, and this device shows it. I predict big things for this product, with sales in the millions."



We have yet another review of the Touch Diamond, this time by Ed Hardy from Brighthand, and much like the others he likes it quite a bit. There aren't many negatives to point out, apart from the stylus and a so-so camera - but those are hardly new gripes with Windows Mobile phones over the last couple of years. TouchFLO 3D appears to be as good as advertised, and the rest of the device shows how much effort HTC has put into building on Windows Mobile for something that would appeal to consumers. Read the review for more.

"The 9502 is faster, (a bit) thinner, and more enjoyable to use than the TyTN II. The 9502 is the no compromise, "ultimate" mobile companion that money can buy as of the date of this review. It's expensive, and it's going to leave a bulk in your pocket, but if you want the most capable Windows Mobile device yet, this is it."



Pocketnow.com has put the Ultimate 9502 through its paces and found it pretty good. This is about as premium a device as you could find, even if i-mate haven't done much to spruce up the UI as Sony-Ericsson are doing, and if some of the design decisions leave you scratching your head (telescoping stylus? card slot under back cover? Ugh!). Still, if you're more concerned about capabilities rather than just a pretty face, the 9502 might be just up your alley. Of course, the price is also way up there, though given the weakness in the US dollar right now, it actually looks pretty cheap to me. The Ultimate line has seen its share of controversies and disappointments over their development period - now that they're starting to appear on the street, we'll see if they'll meet the expectations i-mate have raised way back then.

"HSDPA, WiFi, 3.2 megapixel autofocus cam, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GPS, microSDHC slot, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, and Microsoft's freshest build of Windows Mobile Professional -- 6.1, that is -- all have managed to find their way into the P560's unassuming shell. Not bad, though the €500 (about $772) price tag could scare a few folks away when it launches next month."



The first thing that struck me was - boy, is this thing loaded. The second thought that struck me was, pace EngadgetMobile that price is actually pretty reasonable. You'd only call it expensive if you're comparing against subsidised, SIM-locked phones - the P560 would actually come in quite a bit cheaper than the TyTN II (at least in my locale). It looks like Asus is following other manufacturers in overlaying the Today screen with their own UI, though if this a sample, it looks rather pedestrian. The hardware design doesn't stand out either, at least to me, yet the hardware specs scream premium device. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

"The i780 looks and feels gorgeous. It is made of a strong black plastic. The battery cover was simple to remove but a little tricky to put back on. Powering up for the first time, allowing the i780 to create all my data and voice setup then reveals a lovely Samsung today plugin. Everyone I have shown the i780 to, is amazed."



The i780 is a rare beast - it features a 320x320 screen, a first among Windows Mobile device. Software compatibility isn't as a big a problem as it is with WVGA screens, though I'd still expect some apps will have trouble especially games. As you can see, the reviewers were quite taken with the device and it certainly looks solidly built. The i780 features HSDPA, 2MP camera, BT, WiFi, FM radio, aGPS, and 128MB RAM, which is finally becoming a standard feature at least among higher level devices. Sadly for our US friends this one's triband GSM, though I wouldn't rule out Samsung coming up with a quadband variant. Read the review for more info, or hit up Shaun McGill's Samsung i780 blog for even more.

"The new handsets will be called the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, and the HTC Touch Dual Pro. The Touch Diamond is the Diamond, the Touch Pro is the Raphael, and the Touch Dual Pro is apparently a refresh of the existing HTC Touch Dual."



Things are clearing up a bit about HTC's new Raphael and Diamond devices. They'll have WM6.1 (natch), 520MHz Qualcomm processors, 7.2MBit HSPA, FM Radio, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, 3.1MP cameras, WiFi, BT2.0+EDR, eGPS, and 2.8" VGA screens. In addition the Raphael will have TV out and the Diamond 4GB flash storage. Just remember, as far as we know both will be CDMA only - so far.